Land mobile radio communication systems are well known. Typically, such a system includes a plurality of communication units, including both fixed location transceivers and mobile and portable transceivers. In many such systems, some form of system supervision or control equipment is also provided.
Over time, such systems have become more complex. As a result, the ability of a manufacturer to provide a specific customer with a radio that meets the specific and particular needs of that customer, and/or the ability of a customer to anticipate, prior to receipt and use of a radio, the precise configuration for that radio that would best suit the needs of the user, has become more difficult.
Expert (or artificially intelligent systems) are also known. Such knowledge based systems (KBS) are usually characterized by a knowledge base of facts and rules, and an inference engine. The inference engine inspects and applies the rules using the facts. A KBS can typically be readily expanded, once provided, as rules and facts may be added to the knowledge base rather than specific additional cases representing new specific scenarios.
To date, no one has provided a knowledge based radio that would meet at least some of the needs for providing a user with a radio that is more compatible with the needs of that user. Instead, there have been provided only simple controls based on the current state of one or more inputs, without regard to prior knowledge or learning. For example, one prior art control might be to set the volume level for the audio amplifier circuit as a function of a current volume control setting and measured ambient noise level in the vicinity of the radio. Such systems reflect only predetermined adaptations, and are based only on current inputs (with some provision, of course, of minor hysterisis for stability).